Traction-belt for tractors.



P. E. HOLT.

TRACTION BELT FOR TRAGTORS. APPLICATION FILED FEB.26,1912.

1,1 11,583. Patentd Sept.22,1914.

WITNESSES: INV T g sfloat 1 y ATTORNEY.

the traction UNITED STATES OFFICE.

. PM a norm, or srooxron, camrozanm.

TRACTION-BELT FOR TRACTOBS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I Patented Sept. 22, 1914'.

' Application filed February 26, 1912. Serial No. 680,078.

To a?! whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PLINY E. How, a citizen of the United States,residing at 820 West Poplar street, in the city of Stockton, county ofSan Joaquin and State of California, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Traction-Belts for Tractors; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear. and exact description of thesaid invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit most nearly appertains to make, use, and practise the same.

This invention relates to improvements in tractors of the caterpillartype, and relates more particularl to and consists of the novelconstruction and arrangement of sections forming the traction belt.

The objects sought to be accomplished are to minimize the number ofparts, and trans mit the tractive and supporting burden directly to thetraction shoe; to overlap the adjacent ends of the traction shoes toform wipe joints to prevent the incursion of mud and dirt between thetrack sections;and to provide, against the accummulation of mud and dirtin the link sections; and to provide means for suitably lubricating thearticula tions of the traction belt or track.

Particular stress is laid upon the value of the open gridlikeconstruction of the link sides. The worst enemy of this type of tractionbelt is grit and mud accummulations within and about the link sections;es ecially ifthe mud is permittedto harden. e tween the gudgeon blockswithin the links, The open sided links of the resent inven-' tionprevent the disrupting e ect consequent upon compression of suchobstructions by the driving sprocket teeth entering into each successivelink. The side openings permit of the lateral dislodgment of dirt, mud,gravel or other forei matter. Broadly the invention consists of a seriesof traction shoes having upturned edges and depressed grousers, and endextensions overlapping the ends of the adjacent traction shoes; linksides of open gridlike construction, with profile lugs engaging .thedepressed grousers and bolted to the traction shoes, and joined bygudgeon blocks having an oil font therein and gudgeon pins to form aself lubricating articulation between the traction sections.

tion illustrating a traction belt constructed .ceeding tending between tbody of the shoe, extending transversely of the same.

The draft chain consists of the link sides 6 and 7 having the profilelugs 8 adapted to follow the inner contour of the traction shoe, towhich'they are fixed by the bolts 9 extending.through the ears 10. Thesupporting track 11 is formed integral with the is adapted to supportthe rollers tractor truck a suflicient height ground to avoid mud andgrit, accummulatlons of which are ejected through the openings 12 in thelink sides.

the suethe gudgeon blocks 13 exhe link sides of the narrow X of theseries by end'of the link, end of the succeeding link to form a breakolnt in the supporting track. The gudgeon plus 14 extend through thegudgeon blocks and the interlocked ends of the draft wherein they aresecured by the transverse taper pinsv 15 driven therethrough andclenched. The gudgeon pins are prevented from rotating y the lugs 16formed on the link sides and engaging the transverse pins.

The gudgeon blocks have cylindrical body portlons, adapted to engage thedriving sprocket Z, and the reduced ends 18- flattened to engage thesimilarly shaped holes 19 in the ends of the link sides. The oil font 20is formed integrally with the gudgeonblock and has a cored opening intothe center bore 21. The font is filled with oil before the gudgeon pinsare inserted, the oil is distributed whenever the traction belt assumesthe inverted position in passing around the driving sprockets.

The two link sides with the gudgeon blocks and pins form an endlessseries of draft links adapted to be engaged by the driving sprocket Z,which pulls the traction sections progressively under the supportingtruck rollers, which roll upon the track sec- 'tions impartingprogressive motion to the. tractor. The

grousersengaging the ground prevent slipping of the traction belt. The

Fig. 2 is which is let into the wide overlapping ends 3 and 4 form awiping joint'permitting free articulation of the link sections; butprevent mud or soft earth from squeezing up between the sections andcausing undue deterioration of the Wearmg arts.

p It will be noted that the track belt is formed by a series ofarticulated sections, each section embodying a shoe having grouserprojections on its outer face and corresponding recesses on its innerface and links which at the ends are provided with joint connections forarticulation, at their inner edges with substantially, straight trackbearings for the truck Wheels, and at their .outer edges withprojections which seat in the recesses in the shoes, whereby anytendency of the shoes to slide with relation to the links is overcome,and the holding bolts have therefore only to bear the strains tending toradially separate the parts. Each link is provided with side openings,which openings extend beyond the plane of the joints and cross pieceswith which the teeth on the drive sprocket cooperate, whereby thesprocket teeth entering the spaces between the cross pieces or jointswill force any accumulations out through the lateral openings. The drivewheel operates with its periphery between the track heads of the links,and it ,is of importance in such a structure that lateral openings beprovided inasmuch as the accumulations of mud and dirt would nototherwise be afforded an opportunity to escape, a result which isincident, so far as known, to the structure of the present applicationalone.

Having thus described this invention what is claimed and desired tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. A traction belt for tractors formed by a series of articulated linksections, each section embodying a transversely corrugated shoe plateand a link with joint connections for articulations at its ends, saidtrack link having a rail head portion along one of its longer sides, theopposite side of the track link being bolted to the shoe. plate andhaving lugs seating in the corrugations in the shoe and coacting withthe bolt to hold the'shoe rigidly in place, substantially as described.

2. A tractionbelt for tractors,.formed by a series of parallelarticulated links having sprocket wheel engaging portions extendingtransversely thereof, and lateral openings in the links for the escapeof accumulations at points beyond or on the outer side of the plane ofthe sprocket wheel engaging portions of the links, whereby the entry ofthe sprocket teeth between the links will expel accumulations laterallyfrom the links.

3. A traction belt for tractors, formed by having truck supporting rail"faces on their inner edges andtransversely extending sprocket wheelengaging portions at their ends with lateral apertures extending beyondthe plane of the sprocket wheel engaging portions, and shoes bridgingthe space between the links at their outer sides.

4. A traction belt for tractors comprising a series of articulated linkshaving a gudgeon block with an oil font therein, and a gudgeon pinengaging the interlocked link ends; transverse pins engaging the ends ofthe gudgeon pins and lugs formed on the link sides; a series ofoverlapping track shoes having depressions adapted to engage lugs formedon the link sides.

5. In a combination of a shoe platewith a pair of transverseindentations on its inner side, a link section having a substantiallystraight rail-head on one edge and an undulating opposite edge to fitthe indentations in the shoe. and a bolt passing through the shoe plateand through an oifset portion of the link section, said bolt and saidlugs and indentations cooperating to hold the plate and link rigidlyagainst relative movement.

'6. In a traction belt mechanism for tractors of the type described, thecombination with a belt formed by a series of articulated link sections,each section embodying a shoe plate and spaced parallel track linkssecured to the shoe plate, said track links having pivotal connectionsat the ends, lateral openings in the links between said pivotalconnections and extending outwardlybeyond the same, and substantiallystraight track rail heads on the inner edges of said track links, oftruck wheels traveling on said rail heads, and a driving sprocket wheeltraveling between the side link sections and having teeth projectinginto the spaces between the transverse pivotal connections, wherebyaccumulations entering the belt in proximity to the truck wheels will beforced laterally through the openings in the links by the entry of thedriving wheel.

7. A track belt for tractors comprising an endless series of articulatedsections, each section being formed by grouser plates having externalprojections and corresponding internal depressions and curved endextensions and side links to which said grouser plates are securedhaving edge profile projections seating in the depressions in the plateand end extensions to overlap corresponding extensions of adjacentsections and gudgeon blocks and pivot pins forming the axes betweenadjacent side links.

8. A track belt for tractors comprising an endless series of articulatedsections formed of links having overlapping joint track portions ontheir upper edges and a series of parallel articulated link sections filh on th i lower d d grouser belt for a self-laying track, the' dependentof iink and having its front and rear ends extended beyond planes atright angles to the plane of the plate and radial to the plates securedon said links and having depressions in which the projections seat, ad-

jacent grouser plates having curved overfor tractors, comprising anendless series of articulated duplicate sections, each section embodyinga grouserplate and track link, proximate links having their endsoverlapping and pivotally connected, the proximate grouser plates havingoverlapping curved ends one outside of the other radially of the axis,the curvature of said overlapping portions being approximatelyconcentric with the axis and being extended in opposite directionsbeyond a plane radial to the 'axis at right angles to the plane of thesections when straight and being co-extensive in width with the bodiesof the plates to form a wiping joint and a substantially unbrokensurface to exclude dirt and support the weight of the tractor.

10. A track belt for tractors formed of an endless series of duplicateshort articulated sections, each section embodying a track forming linkand a grous'er plate inbut rigidly attached to the axes of articulationto overlap corresponding extensions on adjacent plates, said overlappingportions of the plates having contacting faces substantially concentricwith the axes of articulation and substantially the width of the bodyor" the plates, whereby the plates mutually support each other at alltimes, and a continuous bearing between the sections exists at all timesto prevent the entry of dirt. y

11. A track belt for power driven tractors formed of an endless seriesof duplicate short articulated sections each section embodying a trackforming link having rounded end portions and a grouser plate independentof but rigidly attached to the link, and having roadway engagingprojections On its outer face and its front and rearends extended beyondplanes at right angles to the plane of the plate and. radial to the axesof articulation to overlap corresponding extensions on adjacent plates,said overlapping portions of the plates have ing contacting facessubstantially concen trio with the axis of articulation and lying on theinner side of the plane of the projections whereby a continuous bearingsurface will be formed between the sections and the entry of dirt willbe prevented.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day ofJanuary 1912.

PLIN Y E. HOLT. Witnesses:

F. G. HOLT,

BALDWIN VALE.

